HBEC is a diverse group of educators, community members, national advisors, and researchers who work to improve the health of older adults living in the Metropolitan Detroit area. It is located near WSU's main campus at 87 E. Ferry in the Institute of Gerontology.

The Primary Goal

The Center's staff is working to reduce differences in the health status of elderly minorities by focusing research on health promotion, disease and disability prevention activities, thereby allowing African American seniors and their families to have better health now and in the future.

The Process

The Center's goal will be accomplished through the collection of data that will be used to effectively resolve problems associated with the health of African Americans. Partnerships are being created with community-based organizations and individuals. These partnerships involve:

Removing barriers to African Americans' participation in research.

Developing new approaches for educators and researchers working with minority populations.

Utilizing funds to create new ways to improve the health of older adult Detroiters and their families.

Participants in the Center's programs will have access to interventions, approaches, information, educators and researchers, who can and want to enhance the health and well being of African Americans, their families, and their communities. Educational sessions have been provided to more than 1000 adults at various sites in Detroit. Now new and creative approaches are being designed to reduce effects of problems that negatively impact the health of Detroiters, such as Diabetes, Stroke, Cancer, Heart Attack, Hypertension and others diseases.

Why Is It Important?

Since the turn of the century the life expectancy for all races has increased, except for African Americans. The life expectancy of African American men born during or after 1997 is 66 years compared to 74 years for Caucasian men, and African American women is 74 years compared to 80 years for Caucasian women.

Differences in the health status of White and Black Americans is very significant, and is has continued to grow since 1985. Of the 31.1 million elderly accounted for by the U.S. Census in 1990, about 8% (2.4 million) are African American. It is estimated that between 1990 and 2020 the number of African American elderly will increase by 102%. African Americans continue to have lower life expectancy than any other race. African Americans life expectancy is 70.2 years compared to an average of 76.5 years for all population groups.

For African American men the average life expectancy is 66.1 years compared to the national average of 73.6 years for all men

Among African American males' lung cancer is more than 54% higher than that of Caucasian men.

The number of new cases of invasive cancer diagnosis per year is nearly 21% higher for African American men compared with Caucasian men and is about the same for African American women and Caucasian women. (i.e., 406.3 for African American women and 431.8 for Caucasian women).

Compared with Caucasian men and women, yearly cancer deaths are 30 and 16% higher for African American men and women respectively.

Although more Caucasian women are diagnosed with cancer each year, more African American women die from cancer each year.

African Americans have a 50% higher risk of death from heart disease and 100% greater risk from stroke than Caucasian people, and 320% greater rate of hypertension-related end-stage renal disease than the general population.